Paris English teacher remanded in custody over alleged sexual abuse of 22 preschool children

Indictment and detention in Paris

A 31-year-old English instructor was indicted and placed in pre-trial detention on Thursday, 24 September 2026, in Paris. French judicial authorities charged the suspect, identified as Yasser G., with rape, sexual assault, and violence against 22 nursery school children. The suspect, who possessed no prior criminal record, taught at Saint-Laurent, a private Catholic state-contracted school in the 10th arrondissement of the capital. Police arrested him on Tuesday, 22 September, placing him in custody before transferring him to court. An investigating judge will now conduct the judicial inquiry following formal requests from the prosecutor's office.

Scope of abuse and victim testimonies

The investigation covers allegations involving 22 pupils born between 2020 and 2022, who were enrolled at the preschool during the 2025–2026 school year. Investigators from the Brigade for the Protection of Minors interviewed the children and their legal representatives over several weeks. Statements collected during these hearings outlined a consistent pattern of physical violence and sexual abuse during language lessons. The Paris prosecutor's office summarized the testimonies presented to law enforcement authorities.

“The 22 children interviewed, born between 2020 and 2022, and their legal representatives described insults, shouting, blows, touching on the buttocks and genitals, and digital penetration by the teacher.”

Reporting timeline and police investigation

Institutional awareness of potential misconduct began months before the instructor's arrest. In May 2026, parents of one pupil requested a meeting with the headmistress to convey shared concerns among several families regarding the teacher's classroom behaviour. A formal criminal complaint filed by the father of another girl on 23 June 2026 led the school headmistress to officially alert the public prosecutor. School administrators suspended Yasser G. from his teaching post on that same day, ending his presence in the school after ten months.

Upon receiving the notification, the minors section of the Paris prosecutor's office directed the 10th arrondissement police station to centralize all filed complaints. The dossier was then transferred to the specialized Brigade for the Protection of Minors to handle formal depositions and evidentiary collection.

External contractor response and family criticism

Yasser G. worked at the school as an external contractor employed by CapEnglish, a private language tutoring agency. On Tuesday, CapEnglish released a statement acknowledging that a former employee had been accused of severe criminal acts defined under the penal code. The company asserted that the instructor was immediately suspended from all contact with pupils as soon as the school director communicated the allegations. The agency stated that standard verification protocols during hiring revealed no legal or background obstacles to his employment with minors, adding that it remains in full cooperation with judicial authorities.

Families of the victims disputed the adequacy of the internal administrative response following the initial alerts. Legal representatives of the affected families criticized the school's handling of the complaints, stating that management showed negligence after early warnings in May 2026.